Wow, am I really going to try to capture what I’ve learned in twenty-one months of studying scripture and praying about it?
I could write thousands of words on this idea, but I’m going to try to keep it fairly simple…
Let’s see how that pans out.

I have learned about life and death.
My ideas about these concepts deviate greatly from what our churches teach, but my current thoughts are based on what scripture says, as opposed to what some guy says each week.

This life.
If we live a long life and die of old age, we’ll probably be here for about 85 years or so. Some die sooner, others live longer.
But what are 85 years in the overall scheme of things?
Scripture says this life is but a vapor.
James 4:14
¹⁴ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Psalm 144:4
Man is like a breath—
his days are like a passing shadow.
We are just a wisp, here for a moment and then gone.
How much stock can we put in this physical, earthly life?
This is a difficult question to answer, since ‘this life’ is all we know.
Everybody has things that are important to them – family, education and career, purpose in life, goals and achievements, making a difference in some way, leaving a legacy.

But really, what is the purpose of this life?
I have realized by studying scripture, this life is just a test. It is an audition.
Will we choose life, or will we choose death?
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
¹⁹ “I call the heavens and the earth to witness about you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life so that you and your descendants may live, ²⁰ by loving Elohim your God, listening to His voice, and clinging to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell on the land that Elohim swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob—to give them.

This life is a simple test to see if we will love Yehova.
If we love Him and His ways, we will have life.
If we do not love Him and His ways, then we will have death.

How do I know this is all just a test?
Well, scripture tells us it is. Not once, but twice (at least).

Deuteronomy 13:4-5
…for Yehova your God is testing you, to find out whether you love Yehova your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁵ Yehova your God you will follow and Him you will fear. His commands [mitzvot] you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve and to Him you will cling.

1John 2:3-6
³ Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this— ⁶ whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.

A simple test, an audition.
This is why we live.
The Scriptures tell us how things will play out in the end.
Some of it is difficult to understand, and there are many opinions on the matter.
But this we know…
There will come a day when the heaven and earth we know will pass away.  A renewed earth will come about, and those who pass their audition will be granted incorruptible bodies, everlasting life, and will be allowed access to the tree of life in the City of New Jerusalem (heaven on earth).
These people will live for eternity in the presence of Yehova.
Scripture references:
Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
2Peter 3:10-13
¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will melt and disintegrate, and the earth and everything done on it shall be exposed. ¹¹ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Live your lives in holiness and godliness, ¹² looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. In that day the heavens will be dissolved by fire, and the elements will melt in the intense heat.  ¹³ But in keeping with His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
Revelation 21:1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
1Corinthians 15:50-56
⁵⁰ Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what decays cannot inherit what does not decay. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery:
We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed—
⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last shofar.
For the shofar will sound,
and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we will be changed.
⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruptibility,
and this mortal must put on immortality.
⁵⁴ But when this corruptible will have put on incorruptibility
and this mortal will have put on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
⁵⁵ “Where, O Death, is your victory?
Where, O Death, is your sting?”
⁵⁶ Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Torah.
John 3:16-21
 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ The one who believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not put his trust in the name of the one and only Ben-Elohim.
¹⁹ “Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. ²¹ But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.”
Revelation 22:14-15
¹⁴ Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, sums up this life in
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
¹³ A final word, when all has been heard:
    Fear God and keep His commands [mitzvot]!
For this applies to all mankind.
¹⁴ God will bring every deed into judgment,
including everything that is hidden,
    whether it is good or evil.

What will this eternity look like?
It will be those who loveYehova and His ways, living in eternity in His presence while living out His words and His ways.

This brings up a very interesting question…
Will people who do not love Yehova’s words and His ways want to be there?
Do people who reject the Torah want to end up there, having to live an eternity in accordance with the Torah instructions?

Do we know who gets to decide who is in and who is not in?
It is not me. I would not want such a weight placed on my spirit.
Messiah is the only one who will decide such things…
Matthew 28:18
¹⁸ And Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
John 5:22-24
²² The Father does not judge anyone, but has handed over all judgment to the Son ²³ so that all should honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
²⁴ “Amen, amen I tell you, whoever hears My word and trusts the One who sent Me has eternal life.
Matthew 25:31-34
³¹ “Now when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  ³³ And He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Yeshua Messiah will decide who is in and who is out.
Does He reveal any of this to us in scripture?
Absolutely, yes He does.

Matthew 5:17-19
¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill [G4137 plēroō; fully teach]. ¹⁸ Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass [G1096 ginomai; fulfill]. ¹⁹ Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven [how they are called, how they are referred to — not that they will be in the kingdom]. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:21-23
²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’”

And again, Revelation 22:14 quoted earlier in this article tells us that those who keep the commandments of Yehova are the ones allowed into the kingdom of heaven.

Do you know Yeshua Messiah?  Do you know Jesus?
He is the one who decides if you will be in the kingdom of heaven.
Do you know the things He says?
He said this:
John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
And this:
John 14:21
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”
And this:
John 15:10
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

Do you know Him?
If you don’t know Him, then you are not in His kingdom.
Again, as quoted above, here is a test to see if you know Messiah:
1John 2:3-6
³ Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this— ⁶ whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.

Will you read and believe the Scriptures?
Will you read and believe the things Messiah said?
Or will you believe what some guy tells you at church?
Your eternity hangs in the balance.
Who you listen to matters.

I have many thoughts in my head, pondering the things I’ve learned writing over 200 articles in this blog. I’d love to just dump them all out of my head at one time, but I cannot…  Other responsibilities call.
Stay tuned for Part 2.